


Altered

by Nozomi_Higurashi



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, X-Men - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's
Genre: Again only not quite, Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Basically if there's a dark theme, Body Horror, Don't read, Feral OCs, Gore, Griffin Crow, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Minor Character Death, Only not quite, Potential feral episodes for canon characters, Satellite's gone wild, They get better, Vampire Yusei, Violence, Werewolf Kiryu, Yusei doesn't like drinking human blood, assume it might appear, but needs must, for plot, i promise it will be good, if you can, if you can't handle dark, not quite, seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-05-20 07:44:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14890430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nozomi_Higurashi/pseuds/Nozomi_Higurashi
Summary: So what would happen if the energy released in Zero Reverse had mutagenic side effects? What would be different? Well for one thing, Yusei, Crow, and Jack are even more badass than before - and Martha's still awesome. Superpowered Satellite AU. (With some badass normals.) Those Dark Signers done goofed in this Universe. Warning: Dark themes - lots of death in the first chapters.This is going to be hellishly dark in the beginning. It won't end in darkness, but trigger warnings for:DeathViolenceGoreSuicideBody HorrorImplied RapePossibly more to come. Like I said, it's hellishly dark to start. The prologue ALONE has 4 definite deaths, many more implied deaths, and obvious destruction. Two of the definite deaths are horrific if you stop and think about it, and both saw their deaths coming and met them without fear to save their children. So even in those horrific moments, there's a shred of light, but still, head the warnings. Please. This ain't gonna be pretty.





	1. And so it begins at Zero (Reverse)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds or any characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise. I do own any OCs I make, but most will be likely be minor characters (used to fill certain roles and no more). I make no money from this fanfiction as it is a tribute to a fandom I really like and want to play around in. If you see this on a paid site, please note that someone has plagiarized me and let me know so I may take steps to prevent fines or whatever. Also, I will be using the Japanese names, so if you’re only familiar with the English, 4kids swapped two names: Blitz is Nerve and Nervin is Blitz.**

 

**This all started because I got inspired by a Vampire Yusei. My muses latched on and won’t let go. I need to put** **_Pain of an Angel_ ** **on pause anyway to get the Gx and 5Ds mangas because I feel those will be good sources of ideas for that series. So, since my muses are obsessed with Yusei lately - and I refuse to force them and invite writer’s block - I’m starting a new story to get it out of my system because it’s all I can focus on right now anyway. Other rewrites will still happen, just haven’t be hit with a strong enough spark of inspiration yet.**

 

**FYI, this is** **_dark_ ** **. Not my usual style of writing, but hey, let’s see how I do. This first chapter is my take on the events of Zero Reverse - lots of death and destruction. Each scene, each death in the scenes, is important. It’s pretty obvious** **_who_ ** **these people are, even if only Dr. Fudo, Yusei, and Kiryu are outright named.**

 

**Now without further adieu, let’s begin this new adventure. (It’s only been 3 days since inspiration struck, and I have the** **_entire_ ** **Fortune Cup Arc plotted out, with the Dark Signer Arc started. My muses** **_love_ ** **the idea.)**

 

Dr. Fudo knew there wasn’t much time left before the Momentum Reactor went critical. He could only hope Rex got away with the Dragon Cards safely. He had one last thing to do before he could rest…

 

Pressing the button on the supply chute-turned-escape pod, the scientist took one last look at the 10-month-old child in his arms. His son had taken his first steps just yesterday and now Dr. Fudo wouldn’t have the chance to see tomorrow with his boy. At least he could ensure Yusei saw the sun rise again… With one last mournful glance, he closed the chute’s pod and sent it off. He’d fiddled with the controls to ensure it would open as soon as it reached its destination. There was a quickly-scrawled note tucked into Yusei’s onesie - written so whoever took him in knew his son’s name, date of birth, and blood type in case of emergency. It was all he allowed himself time for. Every second was a second closer to death, and he refused to allow his son’s life to be cut short.

 

The moment the shuttle left was the moment the explosion happened. Dr. Fudo heard it go off, but didn’t bother moving. His son would live. He could die in peace.

 

\--Altered--

 

A woman with sunset orange hair ran with her 8-month-old son in her arms, trying desperately to stay ahead of the wave of collapsing buildings. Something had happened at the Momentum Research Facility. Something bad. The explosion that went off rocked the very earth under her feet and now the destructive wave of (oddly slow-moving) energy was causing buildings to collapse along the leading edge - and disintegrating them after a few dozen feet. She refused to be caught. She refused to let her son die before he had a chance to truly live. But the wave was catching up and exhaustion would slow her down soon. She saw a crack in the ground - just large enough to place her baby into - and hoping against hope, she put her little crow inside and shoved a flat piece of debris over top with a larger piece on top of that in hopes it would provide enough of a buffer to save her son. She looked back at the approaching wave and knew - this was it. She refused to be afraid. She had used her last moments to give her son the best chance she could - she had no regrets about dying so he could live. The wave caught up and she knew no more.

 

\--Altered--

 

The dog knew danger was coming. The pup his humans had would never outrun it. He was faster, much faster. The pup’s dam and sire weren’t coming back - that was a certainty. The danger would claim them soon, if it hadn’t already. It was up to him to keep the only pup in his small pack safe from harm. He grabbed the toddling pup by the back of the thing his humans called a “shirt” like he would the scruff of a proper pup - human pups were so strange - and ran, fleeing the danger, the  _ wrongness _ of the air. His humans’ pup was now his pup. He would protect the slate-haired male pup with his life. After he put enough distance between the wave of  _ wrong _ he would find a den for the pup to sleep in. Good thing his pup was old enough to know the strange call-sound other humans got his attention by. Humans were so strange. Why they needed such strange sounds to call an individual was beyond him, but at least “Kiryu” could inform other humans of his call-sound. It was much easier to use scent, body motions, and simple sounds to convey messages. Then again, humans were also so blind. Maybe he could teach his pup  _ proper _ means of talking now.

 

\--Altered--

 

A blonde-haired man and woman hid in the basement of their home, their son - barely a year old - between their huddled bodies. They could only hope the basement was enough protection from the deadly explosion that destroyed the Momentum Research Facility. They lived too close to even  _ hope _ to escape - all they had time to do was run to the basement with their little prince. They heard the sounds of destruction followed by an eerie quiet and breathed a sigh of relief. They survived. Little did they know, the radioactive energy left behind would create a sickness that they wouldn’t come out of, forcing them to leave their little prince behind. The strange birthmark on their infant son’s right arm glowed red briefly before settling, preventing the large amounts of radiation already infecting him from stealing his life away too.

 

\--Altered--

 

A part of Neo Domino City was ripped away from the rest when Zero Reverse occured. Many died that day from the explosion. Many more died from the mysterious illness that swept through the island - now called the Satellite - in the next weeks. Satellite was placed under quarantine to prevent the sickness from reaching the rest of the city. Not everyone became sick, but those that did had an 80% survival rate. At first officials were relieved the sickness wasn’t too deadly - and then the first side effects appeared. Satellite remained under quarantine despite the sickness ending. After all, myths were supposed to stay that way. And those who survived the sickness seem to have become myths brought to life. It was the birth of the Altered Humans.

 

**And that’s the prologue of my new story** **_Altered_ ** **. There’s going to be a pre-canon arc, and I’m quite sure this will become** **_heavily_ ** **canon divergent. We will even be exploring the time of the Enforcers at some point. I don’t know how many pre-canon arcs I will have** **_yet_ ** **, but there will be at least two - Zero Reverse Aftermath and Enforcers. The Enforcers is the** **_only_ ** **dub name I will use (aside from Dr. Schmidt, again) because the team name fits my plot better than Team Satisfaction this time. This is gonna be dark - but so much fun too. I think my bloodthirsty Inner Amazon is feeding my muses this time. About time I found a way to let her have fun without actual violence...**


	2. Chapter One - The Only One

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds or any characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise. I do own any OCs I make, but most will be likely be minor characters (used to fill certain roles and no more). I make no money from this fanfiction as it is a tribute to a fandom I really like and want to play around in. If you see this on a paid site, please note that someone has plagiarized me and let me know so I may take steps to prevent fines or whatever. Also, I will be using the Japanese names, so if you’re only familiar with the English, 4kids swapped two names: Blitz is Nerve and Nervin is Blitz.**

 

 **And now the next chapter. Still a lot of death, but now we have violence, body horror, and a bit of (non-explicit) gore added to the mix. You didn’t think having your genetic code altered and having to live as something similar to things in horror stories would be** **_easy_ ** **adjusting to, did you?**

 

**Trigger warnings for: violence, gore, body horror, suicide, and implied rape.**

 

 **A fic like this, I’m gonna be realistic about. It ain’t gonna be pretty. But Yusei is still Hope, so it’ll get better. I can’t keep things dark forever, it’s just not me. But that’s not gonna happen for a** **_long_ ** **time in this fic.**

 

 **...I honestly think this is born from the darkness of the emotional and psychological abuse I suffered growing up, as well as the darkness created from my sister being raped years ago, the rage I constantly have inside by keep control of because I** **_refuse_ ** **to become a monster… I hope the fact I’m writing this, but know it won’t end in tragedy, but with a brighter future means I’m finally ready to be over my own pain. That would be awesome. I’m tired of living with a constant ball of tightly-controlled anger sitting deep in my chest.**

 

**Anyway, on to the first chapter. And yes, the chapter titles are themed. The Zero Reverse Arc is number-themed. Start from Zero and count up. The next Arc will likely have song titles/lyrics as a theme. Following Arcs may have that theme as well, but with a different band/song.**

 

“Ouch!” Martha cried out as the baby she found on the shore after the tremors settled bit her - again. Yusei - as that was the name written on the hastily scrawled note she found tucked in his onsie - had survived the sickness that took so many lives, and kept biting her with surprisingly sharp little teeth. His biting had become more and more vicious over the past two days since the sickness left him, when before he seemed to be such a sweet boy. Sighing, Martha tried to get Yusei to drink his bottle once more, but despite how hungry she knew he was he kept refusing it. He finally managed to bite her hand again - this time drawing blood… and hungrily sucked on the wound. The dark-skinned orphanage matron was too shocked to scold him, trying to figure out _why_ the baby now seemed to drink blood instead of milk - only for him to be satisfied with just a few sucks and immediately latching onto the bottle’s nipple instead. Martha was shocked once more. She heard rumor of people being… _changed_ by that sickness. Was that what happened to Yusei? Was he no longer the sweet boy she knew he had been before?

 

No, that was wrong. Just because someone wound up physically changed by something beyond their control didn’t mean _who_ they are is any different. Martha would continue to treat Yusei as she would any other child - just one with special needs. Thankfully, she knew how to butcher her own food, which would make collecting blood to mix with his formula easier to obtain. No sense allowing him to get too used to human blood and risk losing his roots, after all.

 

\--Altered--

 

Bullets raced through the air, Public Security Officers mowing down the crazed, feral survivors of the Satellite Sickness. While at first there was a sigh of relief at the Sickness not being as lethal as originally feared, now there was nothing but horror. Many survivors above the age of 12 were going crazy and _changing_ . Some looked like werewolves. Some became some type of human/bird hybrid. Some turned into human/aquatic hybrids (those were easy to put down). And others _looked_ human - until they attacked and drained someone of their blood. It was a nightmare. Though the children under the age of 12 seemed just as terrified - if not more so. The Security Officers decided that even if those children were survivors of the Sickness and some had obvious inhuman traits, they’d protect them from the feral adults. After all, none of the feral ones seemed to care - some even tried to murder the obviously changed kids with the kids merely running instead of fighting back.

 

Ushio was the most violent in taking out the feral adults. He was wary of the kids too, but agreed that unless they went feral as well, they deserved a chance to live. Hopefully the fact that the kids were just as terrified of the changed adults as everyone else meant something.

 

Reason Ushio was so dead-set of killing every last adult freak was because he came across one of them - a vampiric one at that - finishing it’s “meal” which had clearly be defiled as it fed. Didn’t help that the meal looked to be a teenage girl. Just to be safe, Ushio had put a bullet in the deceased victim’s head and heart. If the Sickness really _was_ making myths reality - he didn’t want her coming back and perpetuating the cycle. When he explained his actions, all the bodies of the changed and their victims were gathered up and cremated, just to be absolutely sure.

 

And then the vampiric children started going feral.

 

The other changed children remained stable, but the vampiric ones all eventually succumbed to bloodlust and were dealt with. At first they tried to save the kids, but that only resulted in more loss of innocent life. An order was put out to kill any and all vampiric changed as they were a clear threat to Public Safety.

 

Back at the orphanage, one vampiric infant was safe from the decree as his foster mother had found a good solution and ensured that she didn’t lose a drop of blood from the animals she butchered to feed her kids. Yusei gurgled happily as Martha brought him his bottle of special formula, not interested in the least about biting the hand that fed him now that his new mommy was feeding him well.

 

**Okay, apparently this is going to be a thing for now. Super short chapters, but hey, this first arc is going to be a short one anyway. I’m sure we’ll get longer chapters once the Aftermath is over with.**

 

**And damn. Yusei being taken in by Martha saved his life. If only someone else realized what she did, Yusei wouldn’t be the only Vampire Altered still alive. And yes, that’s the reason behind this chapter’s title. Yusei’s The Only One still alive - for now.**

 

**Next chapter title - It Takes Two**


	3. It Takes Two

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds or any characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise. I do own any OCs I make, but most will be likely be minor characters (used to fill certain roles and no more). I make no money from this fanfiction as it is a tribute to a fandom I really like and want to play around in. If you see this on a paid site, please note that someone has plagiarized me and let me know so I may take steps to prevent fines or whatever. Also, I will be using the Japanese names, so if you’re only familiar with the English, 4kids swapped two names: Blitz is Nerve and Nervin is Blitz.**

 

**We’re continuing with the Zero Reverse Aftermath right now. I don’t know exactly how many chapters will be in this arc, I just know each one will be rather short because of the theme in the chapter titles and how you really don’t need much to see how Satellite has descended into a Hell on Earth right now. It’ll get better. Yusei just needs to grow out of his diapers first. Hope can’t do shit if he’s not even potty trained, after all! (Ah, puns. How I love them.)**

 

Martha was saddened when word of the Public Security Bureau’s decision on the fate of vampiric altereds reached her ears. She wouldn’t listen to them, of course, but she knew that if those kids had just had someone  _ willing  _ to help them… Yusei was happily playing with some roughly-carved wooden blocks like any non-altered child. His first birthday had just passed last month and he had shown absolutely no interest in her blood since she started mixing animal blood into his formula. Now he drank blood from a sippy cup once a day - the rest of the time he had water (or juice the rare times she had enough fruit to squeeze out a pitcher). He ate normal food like any other child, but needed a cup of blood a day to remain healthy. The only time he bit her since she found a solution, she had been so busy caring for the influx of children to her orphanage - many of them altered, and thus necessitating her to figure out their unique needs like she had Yusei - that she forgot Yusei’s daily cup of blood for a couple days. He was listless after the first and viciously bit her the second, drawing blood and sucking the wound he made. While that showed he  _ could _ skip a day, it wasn’t good for him (and his sharp little teeth  _ hurt _ when he was truly upset - Martha wondered how sharp his adult teeth would be), so the matron made sure to not forget again. It was difficult caring for so many altered kids, but given Yusei had a death sentence over his head thanks to ignorance, she refused any help. No way was she putting that sweet boy at risk before he had a chance to defend himself.

 

\--Altered--

 

Okay, maybe Martha did need help. Several baby altereds were now in their “terrible twos” and it was too much. Thankfully by this point, there was a doctor that had her full trust. He knew what Yusei was - the boy had caught what turned out to be just a bad cold, and Dr. Schimdt had easily figured out what he was during the checkup. And did nothing with the knowledge. Yusei showed no outward signs of being altered - like most vampiric altered unless they wound up blood-starved - and Dr. Schimdt had no need to know  _ what _ Martha fed her kids, just that they were properly fed. So he didn’t exactly lie in the government-mandated paperwork submitted that Fudo Yusei showed no signs of being Altered - though he had some nutritional deficiencies his foster mother was expertly handling so there was no concern there. Seeing as how he was the  _ only _ one Martha trusted with Yusei’s secret… There was a spare bedroom reserved for any help she knew she’d have to hire someday. Dr. Schmidt could have it. Right now, however, there was a shifter pup causing trouble.

 

“Kyosuke Kiryu, stop biting your sister! You need to be gentle with her! Yusei, your brother needs a playmate!”

 

At least Yusei was still a very calm child. Though he could be just as wild as the rest, he normally only unleashed that side when someone needed a playmate. Martha sighed mentally as she wondered how many repairs the house would need before the month ended. Maybe she should look into a (relatively) safe space to let the altered children run off some excess energy. Might save some furniture from destruction condensed into tiny packages.

 

\--Altered--

 

Rex Godwin, new Director of Neo Domino City, looked over the mandated health reports of the citizens of Satellite. Only the vampiric altered had proven without doubt to be too dangerous to live, though Godwin was constantly looking through the newest reports for any others that needed to be dealt with. So far, Shifter children 12 and under at the time of Zero Reverse were stable. There were a few Elemental children that were iffy - it seemed to be a 50-50 chance on them being dangerous or not, but the reports made it sound as if it was a matter similar to Psychic Duelists - little control as a child because the powers are emotionally linked. So until more evidence came in, Elemental Altered were on a “wait and see” approach with isolation and counseling if there were too many violent outbursts - and elimination planned for those who didn’t get better control after therapy. Though only Godwin and Jaeger knew that. It would be years before they could put that before the City Council and potentially a couple more before it was passed into law with a timeframe. Godwin’s lip curled in a sneer. The Altereds were all tainted by the energy of the Underworld and needed to be eliminated, but the public was a fickle thing and he needed to be careful in his agenda. Tipping his hand too soon would do no good.

 

**Yeah, Godwin’s more of an obvious bad guy here than in canon. He makes it too easy. He doesn’t like Altereds** **_AT ALL._ ** **He’s also not a Satellite here - he stole a helicopter to get the hell out of dodge after Dr. Fudo handed him the Dragon Cards - which he’s already released into the world via just randomly dropping them in front of a Duelist. He trusts they’ll wind up in their respective Signer’s hands like he did in canon - which is completely idiotic in my opinion, but Godwin** **_really_ ** **seems to have trouble thinking about actions and the consequences of them. I mean, flying off a bridge? Even if that D-Wheel had wings, most it could do is glide a 100 yards - if that - before gravity went “yoink!” No way could it be used to fly to the City from Satellite. For a Manipulative Bastard, he sure is stupid in follow-through sometimes...**


	4. Three's a Crowd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds or any characters from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise. I do own any OCs I make, but most will be likely be minor characters (used to fill certain roles and no more). I make no money from this fanfiction as it is a tribute to a fandom I really like and want to play around in. If you see this on a paid site, please note that someone has plagiarized me and let me know so I may take steps to prevent fines or whatever. Also, I will be using the Japanese names, so if you’re only familiar with the English, 4kids swapped two names: Blitz is Nerve and Nervin is Blitz. I also don’t own Marvel, any Marvel characters, etc.
> 
>  
> 
> Well, I said I wanted this to be pure 5D’s - and my muses took that as a challenge. We have Marvel now. It fits too goddamn well, and I think I’ve just started a new monster… And, yup. Concurrently-running story will likely start at some point down the road. Well, there’s goes my hopes of keeping this bunny tame. (Please don’t grow tentacles… One story turned eldritch horror is enough, thank you! I fear what horror this will become since it’s so dark already.)
> 
>  
> 
> It took awhile to figure out how to start this chapter - and my muses tossed Professor X at me as a solution. So now Martha’s awesome includes being old friends with Charles, and being one of the few non-mutants not in the government who knows about mutants. (She just doesn’t care if someone’s different, hence why she’s takes being a mom to all these Altered kids in stride.)
> 
>  
> 
> ...Don’t be surprised if Judai shows up. My muses like tossing him at Yusei as a bro when they’re not tossing him at Yusei as a romantic interest (this is Faithshipping as well, but there’s a plunny with Starshipping). If he shows up, it’ll likely be as an X-man with powers similar to a Psychic Duelist. (Dimensional Summoner, Psychic Projection, it’s difficult to tell the difference for a layman.) And he’s a bit more than he was at first because of his soul-fusion with Yubel. (At least Logan’s not alone with the Immortality in this verse. They’ll be bros. And the spars. Oh god, they’re forbidden from sparring anywhere within 10 miles of a town. Once Yusei is old enough to spar with... )

“I just don’t know what to do, Charles. At this rate we won’t be able to have a roof over our heads anymore. I don’t blame the kids. It isn’t  _ their _ fault they’re different, but… It’s difficult with just Dr. Schmidt and myself. I still haven’t found anyone else I can trust around Yusei. That  _ law _ still exists,” Martha spat, disgusted by people idiocy. Charles sat at the - very battered - kitchen table with her, for once thankful he needed a wheelchair since Martha’s “chair” was nothing more than an upturned crate pulled out of the trash piling up within the Satellite. The Professor had use some of his societal pull to be granted permission to enter the Satellite to visit his old friend.

 

“I may have a solution,” Charles began, and Martha’s head shot up, begging for relief. She was at her limit. Security was pushing to have officers stay over for her and Dr. Schimdt’s protection because of how destruction the children were. If there was a way to reduce the destructiveness to keep that Officer Ushio from being stationed here…

 

Charles smiled. “You know how I’m planning on starting up a school for certain  _ gifted _ students. I’ve had another associate of mine work out some ways to cheaply make more durable furniture and the like for it. Tony has stress tested things, but a field test is  _ always _ a good proof. And if it survives being stress-tested by Altered children, it will become a  _ very _ marketable venture in a way it wouldn’t with my school.”

 

_ Because the mutants need to stay hidden for their own safety _ was left unsaid. Martha could cry with relief at the solution Charles offered. Charles gave her another one of his kind, benign smiles that made her feel so  _ safe. _ (She didn’t doubt he was partly helping to soothe her frazzled mind with his telepathy, but she didn’t mind - it was part of why she had so much of his trust. She  _ knew _ that sometimes, he couldn’t stop himself from instinctively reaching out to soothe a hurting mind, and she accepted that. It just showed his first instinct was to  _ help _ , and she would never fault that.)

 

“I will inform Mr. Stark of the agreed upon field test when I return to New York.”

 

~Altered~

 

“Wow, Charles wasn’t kidding, was he?” Stark declared as he walked in the front wall. Not the front door - they didn’t have one anymore. “You know what, I’ve been meaning to test a material that can contain explosions that’s a bit cheaper than what’s on the market right now, how about these little disasters stress test that too. You have little firestarters from what I understand, that sort of equals explosions sometimes doesn’t it?”

 

This time Martha did cry from relief. Stark looked uncomfortable. Well, hopefully the tears wouldn’t stain the Armani  _ too _ badly. Now how did he get someone to  _ stop hugging _ him without upsetting her. He knew better than to upset a woman with many,  _ many _ superpowered (and likely overprotective) kids. That one with that slate hair was already glaring and growling and  _ were those claws coming out? _

 

“Don’t, Kiryu. Mama’s just stressed, and the tin man is helping her,” a boy with black hair (that had odd golden streaks in it) intervened. Stark pouted.

 

“It’s  _ Iron Man _ , not tin man. Actually, technically it’s-”

 

“Gold-titanum alloy, I know,” the solemn-sounding three-year-old cut in, making Tony start. Martha had pulled herself together and was watching the interaction.

 

“A tiny genius. Martha,  _ why _ did Charles never mention this little wonder?” Tony asked.

 

“Because I need to be kept out of the spotlight. People want me dead. I’m the only survivor of the Purge,” the boy replied.

 

“Yusei…” Martha began, but stopped. She  _ still _ didn’t know how Yusei found out about why there are no other Altereds like him, but given how intelligent he was, he likely just put the fact he’s vampiric together with the fact that he needs to keep it a  _ secret _ , added two and two, and came up with four.

 

“He’s…” Tony asked, looking to Martha. She nodded, hoping Stark was as trustworthy as Charles. Tony looked to the boy - Yusei - again. “Well, damn. No way am I letting  _ that _ potential go to waste. How do you feel about a tutor? I can excuse things as staying for the field tests.”

 

Martha decided Tony was more than welcome to stay if he could accept Yusei so easily.

 

~Altered~

 

“Thank you for coming, Miss Potts,” Martha said. She had made a call to Mr. Stark’s secretary yesterday, asking her to  _ please _ come pick him up. Yes, she’s  _ very _ grateful to all he’s done for not just Yusei, but the orphanage as a whole… but, there’s just no  _ room _ to have a third person helping out when that third person is Tony Stark. He’s just… What’s the word teens use now? Extra.

 

“Yes, Tony can take some getting used to, and you have enough to handle already. However, if you need assistance, the Maria Stark Foundation will help however it can,” Miss Potts replied. “TONY! Pack your things, you’ve skipped out on enough board meetings, it’s clear this is ready for the market, let’s go!”

 

“Crap! The Devil Herself! She’s come to get me!”

 

“ _ NOW _ , Tony!”

 

“Yes, ma’am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter, but like I’ve said. Zero Reverse Aftermath Arc is to lay the foundations for later, so likely all of the chapters in this Arc are going to be super-short. Sorry if it seems choppy, but honestly, Tony’s not likely to play any more of a role until much, much later. (He’s just a plot device for now, but I’ll do him justice later, I do love him. He’s so human, and he tries. He may screw up, but he tries so hard.)


End file.
